Tight lock coupler



May 3, 1938. H.- H. WOLFE TIGHT LOCK COUPLER a Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1936 May 3, 1938. H. H/WOLFE TIGHT LOCK COUPLER Filed March 26, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 2 MZfe May 3, 1938 H. H. WOLFE TIGHT LOCK COUPLER Filed March 26, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 LH w M 3km W0.

Patented May 3, 1938 g UNITED STATES T oFFicE i TIGHT LOCK COUPLER Harry ill. Wolfe, Columbus, ()hio, assignor to The Buckeye Steel Castings Company, Columbus,

Ohio

Application March 26, 1936, Serial No. 71,008

12 Claims.

This invention relates toimprovements in couplers for railway cars and more especially to a novel coupler of the tight lock type.

One of the objects of the invention is to providenovel means for releasing the wedge block of the coupler in advance of the look when uncoupling, and to set the lock in advance of the wedge block when coupling two cars.

A further object is to furnish. a tight lock coupler in which may be embodied the present A. A. R. standard lock, knuckle, knuckle thrower, pivot pin, toggle and top lock lifter hole cap.

Another object is to supply a tight lock coupler in which the projecting pin which engages the socket of an adjacent coupler may be adjusted to properly cooperate with said socket.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consistsin the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupler.

Fig. 2 isa horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

Before proceeding with a detailed description of the invention, it maybe noted that a tight block coupler is one in which there is no slack or swivel at the contour of two coupled couplers. When two tight lock couplers are coupled they act as a rigid body and depend upon their con-- nection to the car body for the required amount I of swivel. The usual connection to the car body is through a ball and socket or universal joint. The coupler is carried on aspring supportedcarrier I to provide for vertical movement of the cars and the carrier is generally carried on a radial track to provide for horizontal angling. Any conventionalmethodof mounting tight lock couplers may be used and therefore nodetails showing this feature are. illustrated.

With a tight lock coupler it is also possible to provide suitable brackets upon which air, steam, signal and electric lines may be mounted so that they will automatically couple when the couplers are coupled.

Tight lock couplers of special design have been used forsome time on electric railways and recently a few applications have been. made to steam railways. For steam railroads, it is desirable to apply couplers, the parts of which are interchangeable with the parts used in the A. A. R. standard coupler and which are carried in stock at all repair points. With this in mind I have modified the A. A. R. standard coupler body in accordance with my invention to produce a tight lock coupler using a large number of the present standard parts.

Referring to the drawings, la. designates my improved coupler head having at its forward end an integral socket 2a to accommodate the projecting head 21) of a pin on an opposing coupler similar to pin to. The pin preferably has a threaded engagement with a stationary nut portion 31) of the coupler head, and is secured in position by a nut 30 which allows the pin to be adjusted or replaced. Tosimplify machining the face of the flanged guard arm 4 and the face of the socket 2a are in line with the pulling face I I of the standard knuckle 5 which turns on aconventional vertical pivot pin ii and cooperates with a standard lock 6, and knuckle thrower 1, ar-- ranged in the cavity 6a of the head.

To accommodate a top lifter for the-lock the coupler head has a top opening In which in the present case is closed by a standard cap Illa.

In order to take up any slack between the pull ing faces ll of adjacent couplers, when the latter are coupled, the body is provided with an inclined groove or guideway H. in which is slidably mounted a wedge block I that is movably secured to the body by a stud bolt l 4 which extends through a vertical slot l5 at one side of the coupler head. A coil spring I6 is positioned in the body between the wedge block and the top of thebody and it acts normally to press the wedge block downwardly so that the latter forces the lock 6 against the tail ll of the knuckle to take up slack and hold the latter in coupling position.

When two couplers are connected and under a small amount of tension, it is difficult to raise the lock with the conventional operating mechanism. Since tight lock couplers are always under sonie tension when coupled, due to the wedging action of the wedge block l3, some auxiliary means must be provided to release the lock. To accomplish this result, the rotor lever l'la which pivots about a horizontal bolt or axle l'lb, is provided with a cam face l8, which actuates a push rod l9 that is slidably mounted in a bearing Ida. This rod is positioned, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, immediately below the wedging block, and when the rod is elevated, it will come in contact with the bottom of the wedge block, raise the latter and compress the springs l6. As the result, the lock 6 will be relieved of the pressure: of the wedge block and the lock can be lifted to lock set or full knuckle throw in the usual manner, that is by rotating the usual operating rod (not shown), which is hooked to rotor lever Ila and bracketed to the corner of the car. Such movement causes rotation of the arm 26 which is provided with a slot 22 to accommodate the trunnion 22a at the lower end of the standard toggle 8. The latter has another trunnion 221) at its upper end which works in the slot 2| at the lower end of the lock 8.

Slot 22 in the arm 20 has sufficient length to allow the push rod I 9 to contact the wedge block l3 before the toggle 8 is raised. Further rotation of the lever raises the toggle link which then slides in the slot 2| of the lock and as this slot is inclined, the upward movement of the toggle will cause a lug 23 on the toggle to move from be neath the anti-creep lug 24 in the bar. It is during this last movement that the cam 13 and the push rod l9 release the wedge block l3.

It is necessary to raise the wedge block it only a sufiicient amount to allow normal operation oi the lock. Therefore the cam surface I8 on the lever merges into a suruface 26 which is concentric with the axle or bolt llb.

During coupling, the lock 6 is allowed to drop freely to locked position before the wedge block I3 is permitted to drop. The proper operation of the coupler depends upon the relationship of the parts to accomplish this feature.

Many modifications of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit thereof, or from the scope of the claims and since the foregoing disclosure has been given by way of example for clearness and understanding, no unnecessary limitations should be understood and the appended claims should be construed as broadly as the state of the art permits.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tight lock coupler comprising a body provided with a central cavity, a knuckle pivotally connected to the body and having its tail arranged within said cavity, a knuckle thrower cooperating with the knuckle and positioned within the cavity, a lock in the cavity cooperating with the tail of the knuckle to hold the knuckle in coupling position, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in looking position, and means for actuating the wedge block and lock successively in the order named to release these members.

2. In a tight lock coupler, a'knuckle lock, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in locked position, means cooperating with the wedge block to hold it in engagement with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be moved to unlocking position.

3. In a tight lock coupler, a knuckle look, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in locked position, means cooperating with the wedge block to hold it in engagement with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be moved to unlocking position, the last mentioned means including a push pin.

4. In a tight lock coupler, a knuckle lock, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in locked position, means cooperating with the wedge block to hold it in engagement with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be moved to unlocking position, the last mentioned means including a push pin and a rotatable cam for actuating the push pin.

5. In a tight lock coupler, a knuckle look, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in locked position, means cooperating with the wedge block to hold it in engagement with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be moved to unlocking position, the last mentioned means including a push pin arranged below the Wedge block, and a rotatable cam for actuating the push pin.

6. In a tight lock coupler, a knuckle lock, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold it in locked position, means cooperating with the wedge block to hold it in engagement with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be moved to unlocking position, the last mentioned means including a push pin arranged below the wedge block, and a rotatable cam for actuating the push pin, a portion of the cam being concentric with its axis of rotation to allow certain movements of the cam without corresponding movement of the push pin.

7. A tight lock coupler comprising a coupler head, a knuckle lock movably mounted in the head, an upwardly and downwardly movable wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold the latter in locking position, a coil spring engaging the wedge block for moving it downwardly, a substantially vertically movable push pin engageable with the bottom portion of the wedge block for lifting the latter, a rotatable cam engaging the push pin for actuating the latter.

8. A tight lock coupler comprising a lock provided with a trunnion slot, a rotatable lever provided with a trunnion slot, a toggle link having trunnions engaging said slots, a wedge block cooperating with the lock for holding the latter in locked position, and means movable with said lever for releasing the wedge block in advance of the look when said lever is actuated to cause the link to release the lock.

9. In a tight lock coupler, a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally connected to said head, a lock cooperating with the knuckle to hold the latter in coupling position, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to hold the latter in looking position, and means for successively releasing the wedge block and lock in the order named.

10. In a tight lock coupler for railway cars, a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally connected to said head, a lock cooperating with the knuckle to hold the latter in coupling position, a wedge block cooperating with the lock to take up slack between the lock and knuckle, and means for successively releasing the wedge block and lock in the order named.

11. In a tight lock coupler for railway cars, a coupler head, a knuckle pivotally connected to said head, an upwardly and downwardly movable lock cooperating with the knuckle to hold the latter in coupling position, an upwardly and downwardly movable wedge block cooperating with the lock to take up slack between the lock and knuckle, and means for successively raising the wedge block and lock in the order named to release the knuckle.

12. In a tight lock coupler, a knuckle having a tail, a knuckle lock having one of its sides engaging the tail for holding the knuckle in coupling position, a movably mounted wedge block engageable with the opposite side of the lock for wedging the lock into tight engagement with the tail of the knuckle, means for forcibly wedging the block into engagtment with the lock, and means for releasing the wedge block from the lock when the latter is to be released.

HARRY H. WOLFE. 

